The Universal Life Church (ULC) is a church founded on a simple doctrine, "Do that which is right," and states that every person has the natural right (and the responsibility) to peacefully determine what is right. Universal Life Church is an advocate of religious freedom and offers legal ordination to become a minister free of charge. The ordination process states that anyone can become a minister by filling out a form that includes a legal name and valid address to be entered into the church records. Ordained ministers are eligible to receive an ordination credential which is a legal document.
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History
The Universal Life Church was founded under the name "Life Church" in 1959 by the Reverend Kirby J. Hensley, who first held services for the church out of his garage. Disappointed with the Pentecostal church, Hensley decided to venture on his own to find his religion. After five years of studying various religions, Hensley concluded that "the proper religion may differ for each person, and everyone is entitled to choose one's own religion. No one should be criticized or condemned for wanting to practice the beliefs of one's choice." Hensley incorporated the Universal Life Church with Co-Founder and (then) Vice President Lewis Ashmore in Modesto, California on May 2, 1962. Hensley served as minister of the congregation and was President of the Board of Directors until his death on March 19, 1999. His wife, Lida, was subsequently elected president of the church and held the position until her death on December 31, 2006.
On January 14, 2007, the ULC Board of Directors elected Hensley's son, Andre Hensley as the church President. Hensley previously held the position of office manager of Modesto Headquarters.
As of early 2009, ULC was sending out between 8,500 and 10,000 ordination certificates each month. Between 1962 and 2008, it sent out almost 18 million worldwide.
Universal Life Church International Headquarters holds services every Sunday at 10am in an historic church building in Modesto, California.
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Legality
Since its inception, the Universal Life Church has come into legal conflicts over such issues as the validity of ordinations and the tax-exempt status of the organization. However, the US military chaplain's hand book lists the ULC as one of the churches it recognizes. In 1964, the case of Universal Life Church Inc. vs. United States of America, it was ruled that the Court would not "praise or condemn a religion, however excellent or fanatical or preposterous it may seem. Were the Court to do so, it would impinge on the guarantees of the First Amendment..." All subsequent legal cases have ruled in favor of Universal Life Church as a legal and valid church establishment. The US military chaplain's hand book lists Universal Life Church as a recognized church.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has ruled in some years that the church was tax-exempt, but has not in other years, based on the annual filing statement required of non-profit organizations. Most states recognize the church as a legal entity by extending recognition to its ministers. A few states do not, and it is up to each minister to determine their legal standing in their home state. The ULC assists its ministers if they experience problems with being recognized in their home or country.
Beliefs
Their one creed (or doctrine) is stated as: "Do that which is right." The ULC's stated beliefs are:
- Objective: Eternal Progression.
- Goal: A Fuller Life for Everyone.
- Slogan: To Live and Help Live.
- Maxim: "We Are One."
Any person may associate themselves with the Church and apply for ordination as a minister upon agreement with its doctrine. The Universal Life Church does not issue ministerial certificates to individuals who are currently incarcerated, but any other person may be ordained as a minister.
Ministers of the church come from all walks of life and may serve under any religion or no religion or as may even serve as humanist ministers or non-religious officiants.
The Church is similar in some respects to the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), although the two were never affiliated. The ULC is sometimes said to be a liberal church with many conservative members. This aspect attracts some individuals to the ULC who are uncomfortable with the liberal activism of the UUA. Church meetings typically allow all present to speak, a practice similar to the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, although these two groups were also never affiliated.
Denominations
Charter churches and other denominations associated with the ULC include:
Universal Life Church Online (ULC Online) is an official church hub for ULC ministers to acquire their legal documents and ministry supplies, and is authorized by Modesto Headquarters to handle official church-related business. It is based in Folsom, California. The site accepts ordination applications, offers ministry supplies, hosts a prayer board, and a page to submit confessions.
The Universal Life Church Monastery is an offshoot of the ULC that was founded in 1977. ULCM first established a website that allowed individuals to apply for ordination in 1995, and the church is primarily known for its online ordination program. George Freeman is president of the Seattle, Washington-based ministry. However, since 2006, the Universal Life Church Monastery is no longer affiliated with the main Universal Life Church.
The Universal Life Seminary is one of the charter churches operated by individual ministers of the ULC. The Universal Life Seminary has some theological beliefs that differ from the ULC. The seminary offers courses from a spiritual perspective, as well as some from various religious perspectives, but welcomes and promotes people of all beliefs.
Other chartered ULC congregations/ churches, / ministries, that operate include: the Shrine of the Irish Oak, a small Pagan/Polytheist temple based on the mixed Celto-Roman Polytheism culture and religions. and Dallas Universal Life Church, a modern nondenominational Christian church that is promoting itself as a church of doers rather than just talkers.
Authority to solemnize marriage
A large number of people seeking ULC ordination do so in order to be able to legally officiate at weddings or perform other spiritual rites. This aspect of the ULC has provided relief to interfaith couples or same-sex couples experiencing difficulty in getting their union performed in a religious atmosphere. Some people living in remote areas also use their status as ordained ULC ministers to meet the marriage officiant needs of their communities. Thus far, the only state in which the highest court has recognized the power of a minister of the Universal Life Church to solemnize marriages is Mississippi. Some states allow anyone to solemnize a marriage. In states in which Universal Life Church ministers are not authorized to solemnize marriages, the solemnization of a marriage by a minister of the Universal Life Church (who is not otherwise authorized) may result in the validity of the marriage being questioned.
United States
In the United States, the requirements for entering into marriage are determined by state law. Courts in New York, North Carolina, and Virginia have ruled that, under applicable state law, ULC ministers are not authorized to solemnize marriages and a marriage at which a ULC minister officiated therefore is not valid. North Carolina law subsequently was amended to validate marriages performed by ministers of the Universal Life Church prior to July 3, 1981, and marriages solemnized by a ULC minister after that date are voidable, although equitable estoppel may prevent the parties themselves from challenging the marriage. A more recent New York court ruling, from a different appellate court, ruled that it is a factual question whether the ULC is a "church" whose ministers have authority under New York law to solemnize a marriage; on remand, the plaintiff offered no evidence, and the New York Supreme Court, which in New York is a trial court, accepted the defendant's evidence that the ULC fits the statutory definition of a "church" and the parties' marriage, performed by one of its authorized ministers, was valid. However, that holding is not binding on other courts. A New York County trial judge stated in 2014 that marriages performed by ULC ministers in New York State are potentially invalid or at the very least in jeopardy. The Supreme Court of Mississippi has ruled that Mississippi has a less restrictive statute and recognizes ULC ministers as able to perform valid marriages in that state. Lower courts in Pennsylvania have split on the issue. In the opinion of the Tennessee Attorney General, persons ordained by the ULC are not qualified under Tennessee law to solemnize a marriage.
International
In Canada, ULC ministers are currently not authorized to solemnize marriage in any province or territory. In countries where ULC ministers have no authority to solemnize lawful marriage, ministers must meet other requirements which might include registering as a notary public, justice of the peace or marriage commissioner.
Litigation
The IRS sued starting in the 1970s, saying the ULC was not actually a religious group. The lawsuits were settled in 2000 with the church paying $1.5 million in back taxes.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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